Now is when you mutilate a massif by Siddharth Pandey

Now is when you mutilate a massif
by Siddharth Pandey

When does rootedness refuse to act as a requisite for dwelling?

When does dwelling dissipate into a dirge for the living?

And when does living lose its loyalty to feeling?

Here in the Himalayas,

Cement rapes the resilience of mud, and plastic throttles the thriving of rivers

Construction debris colonizes giant hill-flanks, and snow forgets its ritual falling

Walkways veer into garbage dumps, and indolent indoors eat into vibrant outdoors.

Now is when the deeds of progress rupture the seeds of growth

Now is when the onslaught continues unabated, and mist’s silver hazes

Now is when the past ceases to cedar-sing,

and the present extinguishes its meaning as a gift.

Now is when you mutilate a massif.

Listen to the poem read out loud by the author

Siddharth Pandey is a writer, photographer, and curator hailing from the Shimla Himalayas. His first book Fossil, a geo-mythological exploration of his beloved mountains in the narrative-poem form, was released in August 2021 as part of the global arts project “Lost Rocks” running from Tasmania, Australia. Pandey has a PhD in Literary and Materiality Studies from the University of Cambridge, UK, and has been awarded numerous scholarships, grants and fellowships for his work on aesthetics, cultural history and interdisciplinary studies. As a landscape artist, his work has been commissioned by some of the world’s leading museums, including The Victoria and Albert and The Oriental (both in the UK). His writings have appeared in numerous academic and popular platforms, including national media portals such as The Hindu, The Indian Express, The Pioneer, Outlook, Quint, and Live Wire.

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Now is when you mutilate a massif
by Siddharth Pandey

Photos used on this page were taken and provided by Siddharth Pandey.